Lock mechanism of breech-loading guns.



A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUCKHAM.

LOCK MECHANISM OF BREECH LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED IULY3I. 1914.

1,163,812. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUCKHAM.

LOCK MECHANISM OF BREECH LOADING suws.

APPLICATION FILED JULY3Y. ISM.

1,163,812, Pamnted Dec. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wimusw- A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUCKHAM.

LOCK MECHANISM OF BREECH LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION man .IULY3I. 1914.

Pamnted- Dec. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OFWESTMINSTER,

LONDON, ENGLAND,

ASSIGNORS TO VIGKERS LIMITED, 01 LONDON, ENGLAND.

LOCK MECHANISM OF BREECH-LOADING GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Application filed. July 31, 1914. Serial No. 854,247.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR Dawson, knight, and GEORGETHOMASBUCK- HAM, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing atVickers House, Broadway. Westminster, in the county of London, England,have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in or Relating to theLock Mechanism of Breech-Loading Guns, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to lock mechanism of the kind in which the lockframe is capable of moving laterally in a box slide on the breech screwcarrier and in which a repriming device is employed, the said devicecomprising a primer magazine or hopper and a bolt wh ch is carried bvthe laterally movable lock frame and by the movements it receives from acocking hand lever, operates to extract the used primer from its chamberin the vent axial and insert a new one in its place from the magazine orhoptracted, the bolt sleeve will lie beneath the the magazine or hopperexit opening of will fall through the from which a primer mouth oropening in thelock frame on to the top of the bolt sleeve, in whichposition the said primer will remain during the movement of the lockframe into its closed position. Upon the lock frame reaching its closedposition, the cocking hand lever may be actuated to withdraw the boltwhereupon the new primer will fall into the bolt-way in front of thebolt ready to be pushed into the primer chamber of the vent axial whenthe bolt is returned to its forward position.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, we will describe the same more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are respectivelya rear elevation and a plan showing a constructional form of ourimprovements. Figs. 3 and 4 are sections taken approximately on thelines 1, 1 and 2, 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 5, 6

and 7 are more or less diagrammatic sectional rear elevations showingrespectively the lock frame closed with the bolt in its forwardposition, the lock frame open withthe bolt still in the forwardposition, and

the lock frame again closed with the bolt a C is the box slide and D thelaterally movable lock frame provided with the aforesaid mouth oropening D.

E represents the primer magazine or hopper, F the bolt employed forinserting the primers into the primer chamber of the vent axial, F thebolt sleeve, and F the cocking hand lever which operates through an armF upon the bolt sleeve for unlocking and retracting the bolt and movingit to the forward and locked position to insert the primer and leave thestriker F cocked.

In the example shown, the hopper E is detachably mounted in an openingin the box slide and as is clearly seen in Figs. 5 to 7 it is providedwith a vertical partition E which divides the hopper into two chambers.The hopper is retained in position by a spring pin E When the parts arein the firing position as shown in Fig. 5, the mouth or opening D in thelock frame D is some distance to the left of the exit opening of thehopper E. After the gun has been fired (or in the event of a misfire)the lock frame is moved laterally to the right, and the opening D thencomes beneath the exit opening of the hopper with the result that thelowermost primer in the left hand chamber of the hopper falls upon thebolt sleeve as shown in Fig. 6, after the used or defective primer hasbeen ejected. The return movement of the lock frame to the closedposition causes the primer immediately above that in the opening D ofthe lock frame, to be forced back into the right hand chamber of thehopper, the upper surface of the lock frame then closing the exitopening of the hopper. When the lock frame reaches its closed positionthe cocking hand lever F is operated to unlock and retract the boltthereby allowing the primer that was resting upon the bolt sleeve tofall into the bolt-way in front of the bolt head. Displacement of thecocking hand lever in the reverse direction then moves the boltforwardly and looks it to the lock frame, at the same time inserting thenew primer into its chamber and leaving the striker F in the cockedcondition ready to be released to fire the gun when desired. Aprojection may be provided on the carrier to prevent the cocking leverfrom being operated until the lock frame occupies its completely closedposition.

The opening of the lock independently of the movement of the breechactuating hand lever may be effected by a lanyard lever H which isformed with an arm I). that engages between. .collars H on the guidebolt H Thus when the lanyard lever H is pulled it withdraws the guidebolt H and permits the lock to move. This movement of the lanyard leverH also causes an extension H- thereon to engage with ashoulder orprojection F 5 on a casing forming part of the striker F (Fig. 4) andthus retract the said striker.

\Vha't we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. In the lock mechanism of ordnance, the combination with astationary primer magazine, of a movable lock frame and a firing boltcarried by the lock frame, said lock frame having an opening for thereception of a primer from the magazine during the opening movement ofthe lock frame.

2. In the lock mechanism of ordnance, the combination with a stationarymagazine, of a movable lock frame, a firing bolt and bolt sleeve carriedby the lock frame, said lock frame having an opening above the forwardportion of the bolt sleeve through which a primer from the magazinefalls on to the top of the bolt sleeve during the opening movement ofthe lock frame.

3. In the lock mechanism of ordnance, the combination with a stationaryprimer magazine, of a laterally movable lock frame, and a firing boltcarried by the lock frame, said lock frame having an opening for thereception of a primer from the magazine during the opening movement ofthe lock frame. 4. In the lock mechanism of ordnance, the combinationwith a stationary magazine. of a laterally movable lock frame, a firingbolt and bolt sleeve carried by the lock frame, said lock frame havingan opening above the forward portion of the bolt sleeve through which aprimer from the magazine falls on to the top of the bolt sleeve duringthe opening movement of the lock frame.

5. In the lock mechanism of ordnance, the combination with a stationarymagazine, of a movable lock frame, a firing bolt and bolt sleeve carriedby the lock frame, said lock frame having an opening above the forwardportion of the bolt sleeve through which a primer from the magazinefalls on to the top of the bolt sleeve during the opening movement ofthe lock frame, means for retracting the bolt when the lock framereaches its closed position, the primer then falling in front of thebolt, and for moving the bolt forward to insert the primer into itschamber.

6. In the lock mechanism of ordnance, the combination with a stationarymagazine, of a laterally movable loc-k frame, a firing bolt and .boltsleeve carried by the lock frame, said lock frame having an openingabove the forward portion of the bolt sleeve through which a primer fromthe magazine falls on to the top of the bolt sleeve during the openingmovement of the lock frame, means for retracting the bolt when .the lockframe reaches its closed position, the primer then falling in front ofthe bolt, and for moving the bolt forward to insert the primer into itschamber.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUOKHAM. Witnesses:

HENRY KING, ALFRED PEAKS.

